In late September our second time out with the Avion was a good test of how it would do in different situations. We drove over 1,600 miles across 5 states and slept 12 nights in the camper. We spent the first night mooch-docking in a family members driveway near Syracuse, then spent a few days in the Adirondacks staying one night at a small state campground, and then at a free site on state land near Indian Lake. From there we drove into southern Vermont and boondocked for a night at Vermont Distillers where we also did a tasting and then purchased some of their maple liqueur. The distillery is located in a building that used to be the main lodge for a small ski area, and has a great scenic view. This was our first time overnighting in a parking lot, there were 3 other rigs camping there and it was a quiet night until the road construction crew that was using the lot as a staging area. Showed up in the morning. We got some apple cider donuts and maple soft serve ice cream for breakfast from the Hogback Mountain Country Store that is right across the street before getting back on the road. We headed south into Massachusetts and drove diagonally across the state on small roads, then spent several days visiting family on Cape Cod while moochdocking in their driveway. While there we made use of a free dump station run by the town of Barnstable which which was set up for commercial pumper trucks but worked out well. After our visit we made our way north, driving through Boston then taking in the sights and spending a night near Gloucester at Cape Anne Campsite . The sites were small and tight, and it may have been the most we have ever paid for a campsite, but our one night stay was good and the location was perfect. We were making our plans on this trip as we went, so when we needed a campground we we would just try to figure out where to stay the day before for each night. We thought we would stay in a state campground but discovered that Massachusetts State Parks charges an exorbitant extra fee for out-of-state residents that made the cost ridiculous for one night stays. As someone who was born there and spent much of their life in Massachusetts this makes me a little crazy. From there we headed north to Maine, had a couple of lobsters for lunch at a roadside stand then spent the night in a parking lot in Freeport near the Outlets. We did a lot of browsing in the shops picking up a few small things for the camper at both L. L. Bean and at a few of the other stores. The lot we stayed overnight in had a dozen rigs of all types that were packed in pretty tight. Even so, it was amazingly quiet and worked out perfectly for us. The next morning we drove out on one of the nearby peninsulas to Bailey Island “lands end” to see some of the Maine coast. This is a nice area and I’m sure that we will be back again sometime to spend more time along the Maine coast. After lunch at the beach we headed over to New Hampshire to spend a night at Bear Brook State Park, and then met up with some family members that had just relocated to the area for dinner. Being pretty late in the season the campground was mostly empty, the most exciting thing was a visit from a porcupine just as we were setting up in the dark. The next morning we walked around the lake then hit the road headed west, back into Vermont. While driving we saw some signs for a National Historic Park, so we stopped to check out. Marsh-Billings Rockefeller NHP has a focus on the beginnings of the “conservation” movement and would be good stop if you are looking for some easy walks on trails in the woods. After cutting across Vermont we spent the night just across the state line into New York at Moreau State Park near Lake George. The next morning we walked around the lake there, then hit the road for the 5 hour drive home.
Overall the Avion and truck did really well on this trip. The truck behaves well when driving, and actually rides and handles better when the camper is on it due to the camper suspension package. For gas milage we got 12.5 MPG which is pretty good compared to what we hear folks are getting when towing a trailer. One of the things that we really like about this rig is that it’s a lot easier to stop anywhere compared to towing a trailer, fitting into most parking lots without much trouble. Also both of us are comfortable driving, which makes a full day of driving more comfortable. This trip proved out a lot of “firsts” with this rig, and we are super happy that the Avion is working well for how we expect to use it, it’s perfect for the two of us, and works well with and without a firm itinerary. For this trip we only stayed at places where we had to pay for 4 nights out of the 12, and we were never uncomfortable. We also love that it keeps us in the “vintage camper” hobby, but is mounted on a reliable vehicle and ready to go at any time!
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